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The Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Gautama, was a spiritual leader and founder of Buddhism. He was born in ancient India around the 6th century BCE. Raised in a privileged life, he later renounced his luxurious lifestyle to seek enlightenment and understand the nature of suffering. After years of meditation and self-discovery, he achieved enlightenment under a Bodhi tree, becoming the Buddha, which means “the awakened one.” The Buddha’s teachings revolved around the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, which emphasized the importance of overcoming desires and attachments to achieve inner peace and liberation from suffering. His teachings continue to inspire millions of followers worldwide.
Did you ever visit a Chinese restaurant? If you did, you might have noticed decorations and artwork, like statues and sculptures, depicting Buddhist temples and maybe even the Buddha himself.
Many people are familiar with statues of the Buddha, which show a smiling, laughing man with a round, protruding belly. Some people even believe that rubbing the belly of these statues brings good luck.
These statues are of a character called Hotei, the Laughing Buddha. This character is based on an unconventional monk who lived during the Liang Dynasty. Eventually, the Laughing Buddha became associated with good luck and fortune in Asian culture.
The Laughing Buddha represents a Buddha or an “Enlightened One.” In the Buddhist religion, a person who has achieved enlightenment or awakening can perceive the world as it truly is. This person is then known as a Buddha and is free from all flaws.
According to Buddhism, there have been many Buddhas in the past and there will be many more in the future. However, when people talk about the Buddha, they are referring to the individual who founded the Buddhist religion and is often depicted in statues as a thin man deep in meditation.
The Buddha was Siddhartha Gautama, a man believed by historians to have been born in the 6th century B.C. in southern Nepal near the Indian border. Siddhartha, the son of a tribal king, was raised in a palace with very limited contact with the outside world.
At the age of around 30, Prince Siddhartha left his life of luxury with the determination to discover the reality of the world. He encountered a world full of suffering, which motivated him to embark on a six-year journey to understand the human condition.
According to legend, Siddhartha, after renouncing his title and becoming a monk, achieved enlightenment while meditating under a fig tree. He became the Buddha — the Enlightened One — and spent the rest of his life teaching others what he had learned.
His teachings, known as the Dharma, became the basis of Buddhism. The essence of his teachings can be summarized in the Four Noble Truths: the truths of suffering, the cause of suffering, the end of suffering, and the path that leads to the end of suffering.
Buddhists believe in the concept of karma, which holds that souls are reborn multiple times into different realms. Good actions during a lifetime result in happiness and rebirth into one of the three fortunate realms: demigods, gods, and humans.
On the other hand, bad actions during a lifetime lead to unhappiness and rebirth into one of the three unfortunate realms: animals, ghosts, and hell. Buddhists consider the human realm to be the highest realm of rebirth.
Why? Only the human realm provides a living being with the opportunity to attain Nirvana, which is the ultimate goal of the Buddhist path to enlightenment. Once Nirvana is reached, the cycle of rebirths ceases, and a person becomes a Buddha who can then guide others as a spiritual leader.
Give It a Try
Are you interested in learning more about Buddha? Ask a friend or family member to help you explore the following activities:
- Go to The New York Times website to read about Buddha’s Caves. There, you will discover a town located on the edge of the Gobi Desert that houses numerous Buddhist grottoes. These grottoes contain frescos and sculptures that are unmatched in size compared to any other Buddhist site in China. Additionally, you will learn why these caves are currently at risk and in need of protection.
- Visit the PBS website to access a Timeline & Map that showcases the significant events that shaped and defined the life of Buddha. You will also find information on pilgrimage sites and centers of learning that hold importance in the Buddhist religion.
- To gain a deeper understanding of the Buddha’s Teachings, take advantage of online videos and read about his journey towards enlightenment and his subsequent desire to teach others how to achieve it. Make a note of at least three intriguing facts that you learn and share them with a friend or family member.
Valuable Sources
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Buddha-founder-of-Buddhism
- http://www.aboutbuddha.org/english/who-is-buddha.htm/
- http://www.pbs.org/edens/thailand/buddhism.htm
- https://www.biography.com/people/buddha-9230587
- http://hivelogic.com/articles/buddha-statue-identification/
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